We all are with you, says Sarfaraz Ahmed after Pakistan goes down fighting in the second T20I

Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed might have been sitting in his country but he is keeping track on how the team is faring in the ongoing T20I series in South Africa. Pakistan, on Sunday, lost a thrilling second T20I against the Proteas and also conceded the three-match series. The Men in Green fought till the last but eventually fell short by seven runs while chasing 189 to draw level in the three-match series.

Batting first, South Africa posted a mammoth 188 for 3 in the allotted 20 overs. Stand-in skipper David Miller was the star with the bat, blasting 65 off just 29 balls. The knock was studded with five sixes including three off Usman Shinwari in the final over to take the hosts to a big total. There were also notable contributions from debutant Janneman Malan (33) and Rassie van der Dussen (45).

The three sixes in the final over eventually made the difference as a valiant effort from the visitors went in vain after they were restricted to 181 for 7. At 147 for 1 after 16 overs, Pakistan were looking well on course to overhaul the target. However, once Babar Azam was dismissed for 90, their innings got derailed. In the last couple of overs, the Men in Green threw away a great chance to level the series by losing four wickets. The series saw Pakistan slip to defeat in a bilateral T20 series for the first time in three years and also ended their 11-series-winning run.

After the game, Sarfaraz, whose four-match suspension due to his racial comments ended with the second T20I, took to Twitter to write some encouraging words for his teammates. “Koi baat nhi yaro! Team larti hoi nazar ai hai. We all are with you. Heads up! Keep it up the good work! Com’on Team Pakistan,” his tweet read.

Koi baat nhi yaro! Team larti hoi nazar ai hai. We all are with you. Heads up! Keep it up the good work! Com’on Team Pakistan 🇵🇰

— Sarfaraz Ahmed (@SarfarazA_54) February 3, 2019

Sarfaraz hopeful of continuing as captain

Despite the recent controversy, Sarfaraz Ahmed has said he is hopeful of continuing as Pakistan skipper. He was handed a four-game ban by the ICC after being caught making a racist remark on camera during the second One-Day International (ODI) against Proteas.

After the all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo got lucky despite playing a risky shot, Ahmed was heard saying: “Hey black [man], where is your mother sitting? What prayer did you get her to say for you today?” (Abay kaalay, teri ammi aaj kahan baitheen hain? Kya parhwa ke aya hai aaj tu?)

Recently, there were reports suggesting that Sarfaraz might be sacked and replaced by veteran Shoaib Malik as Pakistan skipper. However, the wicketkeeper-batsman, who led Pakistan to the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017, thinks otherwise.

“The PCB will decide [about my captaincy], but I hope I will remain captain. My overall performance is good. Yes, it is not at a very excellent level,” he conceded on Sunday. “We will hopefully improve in the future.”

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